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Cracks
author's note--- my artistic license is that cats are a lot more humane in this story... you may or may not find out why later. ---author's note--- Another crack in the ground, another thing lost. Society Welcome to Society. I am your tour guide, Panther. Society is a complex thing to outsiders. I am not sure why. There are four Sub-Societies - Clans if you will, and each of those Clans brings something to Society. The Sub-Society of the Swift(or SwiftClan, as most call it) are the cats that hunt and with their swiftness and stealth bring food to all Society. The Sub-Society of the Guardians(GuardClan) are the protectors of all Society, known for their strength. The Sub-Society of the Healers(HealingClan) are the ones that help all that are hurt, and queens that are expecting kits. The Sub-Society of the Intelligent(IntelClan for short) are the ones that plan Society. Welcome to Society. Would you like to know any more? part one -- the sub-society of the intelligent chapter one: an introduction and lessons Day 1; Moon 1; Greenleaf The kit, named Ashkit, was sweating and twitching nervously. Today was one of the most important days of his life, and he could easily blow it. All you have to do is hunt, fight, heal, and think, the kit thought nervously, What am I kidding, there's no calming me down... It was still sunrise outside, and he shivered slightly as he sat in the dew-coated grass. He took note of the cats next to him. The cat on his left, pure white, with a blue eye and a green eye, was even smaller than him and appeared very young despite their age of five moons. The cat on his right was lean and appeared athletic, with a smooth, shining cream tabby coat. Neither seemed inclined for small talk, and Ashkit felt the same. He licked his gray tabby fur nervously, and his green eyes saw what most of the cats did. A dry dusty clearing with many kits: 20 or 30, sitting on the grass surrounding the clearing. Every cat was stressed. Only twelve of them would make the cut for their new Clan. Each Clan had scouts that would watch them perform hunting, fighting, strategizing, and healing. I've got no chance at hunting and fighting, Ashkit thought nervously, IntelClan and HealingClan are my only chances. The pressure on him was significantly higher than for most cats. His parents both were Rejects who lived in poverty. His two sisters, Sootkit and Blazekit, might not do well. Sootkit had a hard time following orders and Blazekit didn't think before she acted. "Alright," a voice boomed, and a pale brown cat emerged from the bushes, snapping Ashkit out of his thoughts. "Welcome to Scouting. I'm Nettlefrost, and I'll be your instructor today. Stand behind me when your name is called. Acornkit, Applekit, Ashkit." Ashkit lined up behind a brown cat and a ginger cat. "Hi," Acornkit, who Ashkit realized was male, said. "I'm Acornkit." "Applekit," replied Applekit in a higher voice. She looked expectantly at Ashpaw. "I'm Ashpaw." "Silence," Nettlefrost said coldly, continuing his list, "Falconkit, Fawnkit," Ashpaw glimpsed the brown tom walk to his line. Applekit made a noise of discontent but fell silent. The names floated by Ashkit, who was distracted by the sheer number of cats. "Sorrelkit, Snowkit, Spiderkit, Stonekit." The small white she-cat, who Ashkit guessed was Snowkit, fell into line, her fur sticking up in an odd formation. "And finally, Waspkit and Wrenkit. Now, wake up our of your stupors, all of you, and while following me, stay in your line." Nettlefrost strode with purpose out of the clearing. They ended up in a shady forest. "Acornkit through Icekit, please stay. You will be taking your hunting test with Runningstream." A pale gray she-cat smiled at them, and the other cats moved on. "Hello, kits," Runningstream greeted them in a cheerful voice, "I'll be your hunting instructor. We won't be having a contest by who gets the most of all prey, rather a contest for each type prey. Why don't we start with fish?" She instructed, gesturing to a nearby river. Ashkit groaned. ---- An hour later, he was soaking wet. He had fallen in and came close to last with his total of one fish, which was a puny minnow. Three kits, Hailkit, Creek-kit, and Featherkit, had tied for victory. Shivering, Ashkit moved onto rabbits, and with his two, had done slightly better. Gorsekit and Cloverkit had won by a lot with their tie of 6. With mice, Falconkit and Cloverkit had tied. Ashkit watched them with jealousy as Falconkit, Cloverkit, and Creek-kit dominated catching birds, squirrels, voles, frogs, and shrews. At the end of the day, the kits feasted on the prey, and were led into dens, exhausted. The next morning, the kits were escorted to a forest of many herbs. "Help, help me," a calico she-cat moaned, "I have a really high fever... Bring me the herbs you would use before sunhigh, or I'll die!" Okay, Ashkit thought, grimacing. What herbs do I need? Feverfew.. Chervil... Coltsfoot? Lavender.. Mallow? With those herbs in mind, he dashed into the forest. When he found the yellow feverfew flowers, Applekit had already plucked most of them and was running away when Ashkit reached them. He picked a few and buried them. Running by the river, he spotted some watermint and grabbed it. He also took the coltsfoot, and buried them with the feverfew. But time was running out. On the way back he grabbed lavender. He quickly dropped the herbs before the calico, and she smiled. "Thank you," she replied, "I'm Berryheart. I'm not actually sick. Your next task is to help me again. My kits died, and I still have milk. What should I do?" The tom is overcome by nerves, and in his anxiety, blanks.